Happy Holidays! May all the joys and laughter of the season surround you.

NEW! High-impact web conferencing and e-Learning opportunities

It's dynamic and engaging, easy to use, and always available — and best of all, you don't have to travel any further than your desktop computer! Six self-directed modules for only $595! (unlimited use within any organization)

These webinars will be available for you to view online Jan. 1, 2009

New conferences..coming in 2009

Plan ahead for Lynn's special one or two day workshops that are being offered for the first time in this intimate, elegant setting. Learn from others in a beautiful and dynamic hotel & day spa, The Chrysalis Inn, on Bellingham's waterfront.

conference calendar

April 16, 2009: Sales and Service Excellence
This is a full-day highly interactive program designed for all employees of your company. It takes the participant through the sales process with a myriad of breakouts, role-plays and exercises.

April 17, 2009: Coaching and Leadership
This session provides both skill sets and understanding of the importance of setting clear expectations, one on one coaching, modeling the desired behaviors, caring enough to confront difficult situations, measurement and rewards with recognition. This full-day session is a must for any company embracing change.

Deadline Reminder:Reserve your space now for the April sessions. Payment due Feb. 15th

September 10, 2009: Sales and Service Excellence
(repeat of April 16 class)

Price:only $295.00 each day which includes gourmet lunch at Fino's Fine Dining

Who should attend?

Sales and Service Excellence:

*Leaders wanting to develop their skills to teach and inspire their team
*Anyone with direct customer contact
*Progressions clients with new employees who have not yet taken this course
*Anyone wishing to increase their sales and build relationships

Coaching and Leadership Skills :

*New managers and supervisors
*Leaders wanting to improve their communication and coaching skills
*Leaders wanting to motivate their team
*Leaders wanting to instill accountabiltiy and increase productivity with their team
*Leaders wanting to learn from others and network with other industries
*Progressions clients with new leaders who have not yet taken this course

This Month's Featured Program:

Effective Leadership in Difficult Times

-Employee support and understanding of our economy

-Communicating company strength to your clients

-Raising the bar in performance and attitude

-Motivating key performers

-Caring enough to confront the resisters

-Rewards, recognition and training

Lynn designs programs specific to her client’s needs. She has over 100 modules which can be combined or added to any program to create the ideal session for your company.

Feature Article

Value Perception = Sales

It’s not what you say; it’s how the customer perceives what you say that really matters. If the prospect perceives that it’s all about you and what’s best for you they will have no interest. If on the other hand “you” present a perception that the value is all for “them” then they will want to buy. If they perceive that the presentation is all about them and they understand its value to them, then the barriers and the risks are removed and the pathway to success is opened.

There’s an old song entitled “Take the ‘L’ Out of Lover and It’s Over”. Well in this case take the ‘I’ out of selling and replace it with ‘U’ which makes the emphasis all about the customer and they will want to buy. Here are some key elements from Jeffrey Gitomer, “The Little Red Book of Selling”.

1) The buyer, prospect, or customer expects you to have the knowledge of their stuff to transfer that knowledge to the prospect/customer. If they sense that your approach is a sales pitch they will put their defenses up. If on the other hand they see you giving a presentation on their behalf and demonstrating value they will buy.

2) You have to know their industry not just your product.

3) You have to know what’s new, what’s next and not just your product.

4) You have to know the current trends not just your product.

5) You have to know their marketing (the competition’s) not just your product.

We often feel that we need to “tell” our customer’s all about our selves, our product and our company. This is a sure way to put anyone to sleep or send them walking down the street. Our job is to offer them solutions to their problems and the only way we know what those problems are is through the talent of asking open-ended questions. When we ask a well crafted open-ended question and become an astute and patient listener we uncover the solutions needed to solve their underlying problem or address their emotional needs.

All too often sales people simply get excited and do a “product dump” or information overload. We hear clues from the prospect/customer and jump inj with both feet into the conversation, providing way too much information and too little rapport building. In so doing we also often fail to identify what’s important to the customer… that famous radio WIIFM “What’s In It for Me?”

Differentiation. Customers and prospects want to know how we’re different and why should they choose us. So often we simply want to compare ourselves to the competition rather then clearly differentiating ourselves. They want more than simple features, they want value… for them!

So to simplify the process…assuming that the prospect/customer has a genuine need or desire all we should need to do to make the sale is;

1) Answer their need;
2) Demonstrate ideas that benefit them;
3) Clearly establish how we are different from other companies both ourselves and our products;
4) Clearly show the value.
5) Create a sense of trust in you the representative.

Good Luck in demonstrating value for your customer/prospects.

Lynn Giuliani

reminder:
Lynn is now booking for 2009

She has reserved time slots for previous clients but they are filling up fast. So if you'd like to schedule training with Lynn in 2009, please contact her at your earliest opportunity.

In This Issue

Quote for Today

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

-Aristotle

Action for Today

Take the time to really understand your client's needs and priorities. Be a problem solver and set yourself apart from the competition.

Featured Book

"Survival is Not Enough"
by Seth Godin.

Amazon.com Review
In Survival Is Not Enough, former Yahoo executive and author of Permission Marketing Seth Godin turns his attention to the predominant issue facing all business today: change. Godin takes the perspective of an evolutionary biologist, borrowing ideas from the likes of Richard Dawkins, Jared Diamond, and Matt Ridley to formulate his own prescription for business survival, a concept he calls "zooming," which he defines as "stretching your limits without threatening your foundation." The result is a wide-ranging and eclectic menu of useful ideas that just about anyone looking to enhance their career, job satisfaction, and their company's prospects would do well to consider.